Raising sheep in an area that borders so much wild land means that we have to keep a close eye on the herd. The
predators that populate this area are quite formidable, the most dangerous
being the mountain lion, followed by bobcats and coyotes. The current herd
consists of 40 sheep, so in the morning, even with the security of our movable electric fence, we must make sure that there are in
fact 40 still running about. There are various ways we protect the sheep, the
most dissuading being the guard donkeys, Fiona and Dottie. Donkeys are quite
protective and have a particular disdain for canines. Five alpacas are a second
line of defense, watchful and noisy. When we move the animals to a new area to grazing, the
electric fence comes with them, which provides another element of
protection: 6,000 volts of electricity is a memorable deterrent. We haven't lost a single sheep (knock on wood) but we know
that there are things out here that would love a mutton snack. Coyote predation is
one of the main reasons that commercial sheep ranching is becoming a rarity in
many areas of California. The herd, Dottie in front, in the vineyard this spring:

As cute as the sheep are, they
are here to do a job. Our herd removes the unwanted weeds from underneath the
vines and within the vine rows. By having them in the vineyard we get a wealth of
benefits. It reduces at least two tractor passes in any given block, so a
reduction in biodiesel use, total man hours, and tractor repair costs. As they
eat, they are simultaneously fertilizing the vineyard, and that nutrient
cycling happens without any human effort, reducing the total amount of compost
we have to purchase and the labor to apply it. And the time that we spend with the animals in the vineyard gives us another perspective on what else we need to be paying attention to.

The sheep can only be in the vineyard when the
vines aren't growing. This period usually extends from mid-November to mid-April, depending in the growing season and how early the winter rainfall arrives.
The herd can graze down two acres of vineyard in one week, so in 4 months they can cover 30-40
acres of vineyard. Doing some math shows that one full grown sheep can eat roughly
one acre worth of weeds during that timeframe, and a little more math would suggest that a herd of 100 sheep should be
the magic number for us to be able to graze them across the whole vineyard each year.

Since the herd can only be in the vineyard for this time, not only do we need
to find somewhere else to put the sheep, but also provide something else for
them to eat. Every year we plant cover crop in the vineyard rows, and some of
those seed mixes contain more legumes and others more grasses. In spring of
2012 we noticed a block that had a particularly tall barley cover crop growing.
We harvested the barley by hand, left it to dry in the field, and tied it up
into small bundles. We use this to feed when there is no grass left for
grazing. It’s a great example of adhering to the single farm unit and trying to
produce as much of what we need from our own property.

Fifteen lambs were born at Tablas
Creek this year, ten ewe lambs and five ram lambs. The males are usually castrated
a few days after birth, as this is the most humane time for this to be done and avoids the problem of them fighting for dominance when they reach adulthood.
These males (called wether lambs) can be kept to grow
the herd, or can be sold at auction once they reach market weight. Ewe lambs are more valuable since
they will become mothers once they reach sexual maturity. This happens from 6
to 12 months of age. We want them to reach full size (generally over a year
old) before they breed to lower pregnancy risks later on. Ewes that
came from a twin birth have a higher chance of having twins themselves, which
can be valuable as it will help grow the herd faster.

Our first lamb was born in mid-December 2012, a ram lamb named Percy. He will become the patriarch of the
herd. He’s grown quite large in the last eight months, now weighing over 100 pounds.
Percy will be taking over for his father Gordy, once he has reached full
maturity. He is a half Dorper and half Katahdin. Both breeds are hair sheep, meaning they
actually don't have wool, but lose their hair in the summer months and grow it
back as the weather becomes cooler in the late fall. These breeds are known to have good meat
characteristics and are very hardy. One ram is capable of breeding 30-50 ewes.
Selection of the ram is quite important since he is essentially 50% of the
genetic makeup of the herd. Percy has already shown good qualities as a future
ram, with heavy muscling and a small head to he will pass down to his
offspring, easing issues during birthing.

Shawn Dugan introducing Gordy to his son Percy

Young Percy

Percy this week

Molly was our first ewe lamb
born, and she has unique markings. I fed her by hand from when she was a few days old, and she is quite friendly. Her name was crowd-sourced: we started by asking the employees at Tablas
Creek for nominations, and put the top choices out to our Facebook followers. I think her name is rather fitting.

Young Molly

The ewe lambs were recently
removed from the herd and weaned from their mothers for the first time,
to prevent them breeding this year. After a few trying days it seems
that these lambs have made the adjustment to their separation and are
only concerned with the feed bucket.

Inside lambing barn this week, Molly on left.

This experimental animal project,
now almost two years old, has been a smashing success. I’ve described the more
practical reasons for having them around, but what we didn’t expect was the
effect it would have on our own employees. Not a day goes by there isn’t
someone that wants to go see the animals or wants to share stories of the silly
antics of the multi-species herd. It brings people out into the vineyard more
often, and gives them a deeper tie and connection to our estate. Our customers
have also responded. Not long ago we hosted an event where we had a
walking tour of all of our different creatures here at Tablas. Families, some
with children, some without, were able to interact with all the sheep, donkeys,
pigs, goats, chicken and humans. It even got written up as a blog piece by KCET TV in Los Angeles. This has all shown me how much joy these
animals can bring to people of all ages, and it’s something that I get the
privilege to experience every day.

Comments

Counting sheep (and losing sleep)

By Levi Glenn

Most of my mornings start with counting sheep. You herd that right.

Raising sheep in an area that borders so much wild land means that we have to keep a close eye on the herd. The
predators that populate this area are quite formidable, the most dangerous
being the mountain lion, followed by bobcats and coyotes. The current herd
consists of 40 sheep, so in the morning, even with the security of our movable electric fence, we must make sure that there are in
fact 40 still running about. There are various ways we protect the sheep, the
most dissuading being the guard donkeys, Fiona and Dottie. Donkeys are quite
protective and have a particular disdain for canines. Five alpacas are a second
line of defense, watchful and noisy. When we move the animals to a new area to grazing, the
electric fence comes with them, which provides another element of
protection: 6,000 volts of electricity is a memorable deterrent. We haven't lost a single sheep (knock on wood) but we know
that there are things out here that would love a mutton snack. Coyote predation is
one of the main reasons that commercial sheep ranching is becoming a rarity in
many areas of California. The herd, Dottie in front, in the vineyard this spring:

As cute as the sheep are, they
are here to do a job. Our herd removes the unwanted weeds from underneath the
vines and within the vine rows. By having them in the vineyard we get a wealth of
benefits. It reduces at least two tractor passes in any given block, so a
reduction in biodiesel use, total man hours, and tractor repair costs. As they
eat, they are simultaneously fertilizing the vineyard, and that nutrient
cycling happens without any human effort, reducing the total amount of compost
we have to purchase and the labor to apply it. And the time that we spend with the animals in the vineyard gives us another perspective on what else we need to be paying attention to.

The sheep can only be in the vineyard when the
vines aren't growing. This period usually extends from mid-November to mid-April, depending in the growing season and how early the winter rainfall arrives.
The herd can graze down two acres of vineyard in one week, so in 4 months they can cover 30-40
acres of vineyard. Doing some math shows that one full grown sheep can eat roughly
one acre worth of weeds during that timeframe, and a little more math would suggest that a herd of 100 sheep should be
the magic number for us to be able to graze them across the whole vineyard each year.

Since the herd can only be in the vineyard for this time, not only do we need
to find somewhere else to put the sheep, but also provide something else for
them to eat. Every year we plant cover crop in the vineyard rows, and some of
those seed mixes contain more legumes and others more grasses. In spring of
2012 we noticed a block that had a particularly tall barley cover crop growing.
We harvested the barley by hand, left it to dry in the field, and tied it up
into small bundles. We use this to feed when there is no grass left for
grazing. It’s a great example of adhering to the single farm unit and trying to
produce as much of what we need from our own property.

Fifteen lambs were born at Tablas
Creek this year, ten ewe lambs and five ram lambs. The males are usually castrated
a few days after birth, as this is the most humane time for this to be done and avoids the problem of them fighting for dominance when they reach adulthood.
These males (called wether lambs) can be kept to grow
the herd, or can be sold at auction once they reach market weight. Ewe lambs are more valuable since
they will become mothers once they reach sexual maturity. This happens from 6
to 12 months of age. We want them to reach full size (generally over a year
old) before they breed to lower pregnancy risks later on. Ewes that
came from a twin birth have a higher chance of having twins themselves, which
can be valuable as it will help grow the herd faster.

Our first lamb was born in mid-December 2012, a ram lamb named Percy. He will become the patriarch of the
herd. He’s grown quite large in the last eight months, now weighing over 100 pounds.
Percy will be taking over for his father Gordy, once he has reached full
maturity. He is a half Dorper and half Katahdin. Both breeds are hair sheep, meaning they
actually don't have wool, but lose their hair in the summer months and grow it
back as the weather becomes cooler in the late fall. These breeds are known to have good meat
characteristics and are very hardy. One ram is capable of breeding 30-50 ewes.
Selection of the ram is quite important since he is essentially 50% of the
genetic makeup of the herd. Percy has already shown good qualities as a future
ram, with heavy muscling and a small head to he will pass down to his
offspring, easing issues during birthing.

Shawn Dugan introducing Gordy to his son Percy

Young Percy

Percy this week

Molly was our first ewe lamb
born, and she has unique markings. I fed her by hand from when she was a few days old, and she is quite friendly. Her name was crowd-sourced: we started by asking the employees at Tablas
Creek for nominations, and put the top choices out to our Facebook followers. I think her name is rather fitting.

Young Molly

The ewe lambs were recently
removed from the herd and weaned from their mothers for the first time,
to prevent them breeding this year. After a few trying days it seems
that these lambs have made the adjustment to their separation and are
only concerned with the feed bucket.

Inside lambing barn this week, Molly on left.

This experimental animal project,
now almost two years old, has been a smashing success. I’ve described the more
practical reasons for having them around, but what we didn’t expect was the
effect it would have on our own employees. Not a day goes by there isn’t
someone that wants to go see the animals or wants to share stories of the silly
antics of the multi-species herd. It brings people out into the vineyard more
often, and gives them a deeper tie and connection to our estate. Our customers
have also responded. Not long ago we hosted an event where we had a
walking tour of all of our different creatures here at Tablas. Families, some
with children, some without, were able to interact with all the sheep, donkeys,
pigs, goats, chicken and humans. It even got written up as a blog piece by KCET TV in Los Angeles. This has all shown me how much joy these
animals can bring to people of all ages, and it’s something that I get the
privilege to experience every day.